Cruising Helmsman – June 2017

MODERN chartplotters are

waterproof and daylight viewable,

so most new wheel-steered yachts have

one mounted at the steering pedestal,

viewable by the helmsman.

Typically, the display is f lush

mounted into a customised moulding

with wiring connections hidden from

sight. It is a neat arrangement and

convenient for the helmsman. I am far

from being the first owner of an older

style yacht to think about retrofitting

a chartplotter at the helm.

There are commercial mouldings

and 'pod' products available, often

designed to mount on tubular frames

that might be attached to an existing

steering pedestal for example. Options

of course depend on the dimensions and

relative positions of possible supports,

but some could also suit tiller steered

yachts, such as supporting a pod from

an overhead bimini or cockpit solar

panel frame.

My own DIY approach is now in its third

evolution and my experiences may inform

others considering building their own, or

adapting a proprietary pod.

MARK 1: DODGER SUPPORTED

My boat does have a steering pedestal but

when I first tackled this project in 2012

the simplest option was to support a small

chartplotter/sounder unit from the aft

edge of the cockpit dodger, using the clip-

in base supplied for on-surface mounting.

Our dodger is rigid and extends aft almost

to the steering pedestal, but something

similar could be done from the more usual

tubular-framed canvass dodger, perhaps

via a pair of overhead tubes bridging to a

bimini, with wiring clipped to the tubes.

This unit was supplied with a 'skimmer'

52

Cockpit electronics hack

Cruising Helmsman June 2017

IN ENGINEERING TERMS IT IS OFTEN

SAID THE THIRD UNIT BUILT IS WHEN

YOU BEGIN TO GET IT RIGHT.

PRACTICAL

ELECTRONICS

Project

BY ANDREW BRAY